Butterball is certified by the British Retail Consortium,
says the site, on "300 elements related to food safety and quality, as
well as worker safety, environmental impact and management commitment." The
turkey processor practices "good citizenship" based on
"self-governance," "social responsibility," and "sustainability."

But search for the words "welfare," "Mercy For
Animals" or "Shannon, North Carolina" (where a grisly
Christmas-time expose took place) and you will get no results. Maybe you didn't
spell the words correctly.

Between November and December of 2011, while people were
making their holiday plans, an undercover employee at a Butterball turkey semen
collection facility in Shannon documented turkeys with open sores, infected
eyes and broken bones, covered in flies and living in their own waste. Happy
Thanksgiving everyone!

"In the video, workers can be seen kicking and stomping
on turkeys, as well as dragging them by their wings and necks," reported
ABC news. "The video also shows injured birds with open wounds and exposed
flesh."

Birds at the Butterball facility were left to slowly die
from their injuries, some unable to even reach food or water, says the
undercover employee. The "pain and the suffering that they're
experiencing," is clearly visible she told NBS news.

Like scores of other gigantic food producers who have been exposed
on undercover videos as harboring sadistic employees and sick and dying
animals, Butterball pleads ignorance. It has a "zero tolerance policy for
any mistreatment of our birds," and has fired the proverbial "bad
apple" employees it did not know about. Who knew?

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Butterball is also "taking steps to help ensure that
all new and existing associates have a clear understanding of our animal
well-being policies," said Rod Brenneman, president and CEO of Butterball.
Maybe employees don't know they aren't supposed to stomp and kick birds, drag them
by their wings and necks, not to mention bash them in the heads with metal bars,
as the employee reports. Let's tell them!

But, it wasn't only Butterball management that enabled the
agricultural hell for turkeys in the interests of cheap "holiday"
food. Dr. Sarah Mason, head of animal health programs in the North Carolina
Department of Agriculture, tipped off Butterball about a December 28 raid and managed
to sabotaged it. Even as the Hoke
County Sheriff's Department sought to raid Butterball on the basis of
videotaped evidence, Mason contacted "a friend and fellow
veterinarian" who works for Butterball, which assured that the raid
"never had a chance," reports the Fayetteville Observer.

Hey, from one vet to another, we better hide the animal
abuse we're permitting!

Given that the state agency is in charge of regulating Butterball
yet undermined the raid, was there a quid pro quo involved? "That's a
criminal matter, to be decided by the district attorney's office," opines
the Observer.

The sordid collegiality between government and industry
which makes a mockery of democracy, consumer rights and animal welfare, brings
to mind the saga of egg don Austin "Jack" DeCoster, the salmonella
king.

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Despite the recall of half a billion salmonella-contaminated eggs from DeCoster-affiliated
farms in 2010, his conviction on animal cruelty the same year and nine deaths
and 500 illnesses traced to his eggs in 1987, Iowa state agencies thought he was a pretty cool dude.

"One of the things I've always said about DeCoster is
that when there's a problem at his facilities, he acts fast," enthused
Kevin Buskins, a spokesman for Iowa's Department of Natural Resources which
shares oversight of egg operations with the state agriculture department.

Will Butterball get a pass like DeCoster did? So far no
charges have been filed against the turkey processor and its state regulator "friend"
still has her job. And there is even more good news for the turkey processor.
The company and its communications agency, Howard, Merrell & Partners, received
four public relations awards from the Virginia Chapter of the National
Agri-Marketing Association, Carolinas, this month at an industry banquet.

Receiving honors were a celebration for the "millionth
fresh bird produced during the 2010 holiday season," a press release
announcing 330,000 pounds of
turkey products donated to the needy and a campaign in partnership with the Weekly
Reader that demonstrates "how
responsible agricultural practices lead to healthy animals and safe,
high-quality food for consumers."

Martha Rosenberg is an award-winning investigative public health reporter who covers the food, drug and gun industries. Her first book, Born With A Junk Food Deficiency: How Flaks, Quacks and Hacks Pimp The Public Health, is distributed by Random (more...)